The following list of symptoms may be potential indicators of stress and/or burnout. If you have experienced or are currently experiencing several of these symptoms, you may want to consult a counselor and develop a personal stress management program.
Remember that burnout is a progressive process and does not usually set in quickly, so do not fall into the misconception that burnout only happens to “bad” workers - it can affect anyone over the course of time. Once a person is deep into burnout, it is very hard to recover.
Physical Symptoms
- Change in appetite/weight change
- Increased drug, alcohol, tobacco use
- Digestive upsets
- Pounding heart
- Frequent colds
- Headaches
- Muscle aches
- Fatigue
- Insomnia
- Restlessness
- Teeth grinding
- Rash
Emotional Symptoms
- Anxiety
- Bad temper/irritability
- Exhaustion
- Frustration
- The “blues”
- Mood swings
- Nightmares
- Depression
- Nervous laughter
- Crying spells
- Worrying
- Becoming easily discouraged
Mental Symptoms
- Exhaustion
- Poor concentration
- Lower productivity/lack of new ideas
- Forgetfulness, spacing out
- Dull senses/boredom
- Negative attitude
- Confusion
- Whirling mind
Spiritual Symptoms
- Exhaustion
- Feelings of emptiness, doubt, cynicism or apathy
- Loss of meaning or direction
- Being unforgiving
- Martyrdom
- Looking for “magic”
- Needing to “prove” self
Relational Symptoms
- Depersonalization of work and clients
- Isolation/loneliness
- Lack of intimacy
- Lowered sexual drive
- Clamming up/hiding
- Intolerance/lashing out
- Resentment
- Nagging
